


Send His Love To Me

by Magnetism_bind



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Complicated Relationships, F/M, M/M, Multi, Season 1 centric, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-10
Updated: 2014-11-10
Packaged: 2018-02-24 21:25:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2596934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnetism_bind/pseuds/Magnetism_bind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ada's always wanted Freddie Thorne, but matters of the heart are never without complications.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Send His Love To Me

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a tumblr prompt for Tommy/Freddie/Ada.

She had wanted Freddie Thorne since she first clapped eyes on him. He read books and wasn’t afraid to discuss them in front of the others. His shoes were always clean, if scuffed from being handed down from previous sibling. When he spoke about politics in the pub, he didn’t care who heard because he _wanted_ people to hear. The world needed to change, Freddie had said once. You have to want it to change. That was the hard part.

Ada knew that well enough. Wanting something, truly wanting it with everything inside you, the desperation of it making your teeth hurt, well. There was only one way to deal with that.

When she wanted something, Ada truly wanted it, and if there was one thing being born a Shelby had taught her, it was that you had to go after your desires with both hands and a fierce heart. She’d wanted other things throughout her life, more education, the freedom to walk through the streets at night like her brothers, but nothing as true as how she wanted Freddie.

Freddie wanted her back, she knew that much. She could tell the way he glanced at her across the pub and smiled, without looking away immediately. Every look as though they were already deep in quiet conversation.

He also wanted her brother. Ada had known that as well since the first time she saw him watching Tommy across the street when they were all children. Freddie had the same slack-jawed, wide-eyed fascination of people under her brother’s spell. 

It wasn’t shocking. Tommy was, well, Tommy. Callous and careless and handsome-eyed. Of all her brothers, he was Ada’s favorite and also the one that infuriated her the most. Tommy had plans. Tommy wanted a future out of Birmingham. He was going places, even now, but he never made you feel guilty for your own hopes. Every person was different, to Tommy’s way of thinking, but the one way they were all the same, was in the pursuit of hope. It was no wonder that other people wanted him too.

 *  *  *

One night Freddie finally bought her a drink and walked her home. They kissed under the shadow of the bridge, well out of sight of anyone who’d run tattling to her family. His lips were gentle, like he wouldn’t truly let himself kiss her even now, and Ada couldn’t help wondering if he would kiss truer with Tommy.

They walked on again. There was no time to linger.

 *  *  *

“He wants you as well.” Ada combed her fingers through her hair, then looked at her brother straight on. She was tired of dancing around the subject. It had been three weeks since that first kiss under the bridge. Freddie had walked her home every chance he had. There were other stolen kisses and he had touched her waist, and held her hand and she wanted more than that. 

Tommy raised an eyebrow. “Is that right?” He had a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, already half glancing away from her statement.

“Don’t be so fucking coy, you know what I mean.”

“Language.” He chided her, and Ada slapped him, hard, right across the cheek. Color bloomed there, and then she placed her palm over it, feeling the heat her hand had left there.

Tommy gave her a look and laid his hand over hers. With the other he stubbed out the cigarette and reached for his drink.

“Is he what you want?”

She wouldn’t look at him. Her fingers pressed into the skin of his cheek. If she told Tommy it would be all be true.

“Ada.” His breath was soft on her ear as he touched her chin, coaxing her face up to look at him. “Ada, tell me true. Is Freddie Thorne what your heart truly wants?”

“Yes.” She breathed.

“Then you shall have him.” Tommy’s lips brushed her cheek and she knew it to be a promise. The only kind Tommy Shelby knew how to make.

 *  *  *

The next night in the bar Tommy took the spot beside Tommy. He ignored the looks from the other men, wondering why now he chose to give space to a man he hadn’t acknowledged for quite a while now.

Tommy nodded to the barman who brought over a bottle. He poured before speaking.

“You saved my life.”

Freddie acknowledged this with a tilt of his glass. “So you’re talking to me again?”

Tommy leaned against the bar. “I’m waiting for Ada.”

Freddie glanced at him quick, like he expected a fight. Tommy sent him a slow measured look over his whiskey _. Go on, I know you’ve been walking out with my sister. Be a man and tell me._

The thing was, Tommy had always known Freddie fancied him. You could tell the way it was. Or at least he could. And maybe he had thought about it, the way you speculate on whether it was going to rain, or what if you’d die tomorrow, or whether your father would stay away for good like you hoped every night.

And this, this wasn’t much to give, if it was what Ada wanted. Ada wasn't afraid of anything. Not yet. Not like Tommy was in his heart. He had made it back from the war and so had Freddie Thorne. And he owed Freddie Thorne his life.

Freddie said nothing. Tommy took another sip.

“I know you’ve been seeing her.”

“Tommy, it’s not what you think.” Freddie said. “We’ve…I care about her, I...”

“You’ve a funny way of showing it.” Tommy reached past him to take the bottle the barman had left. Freddie didn’t move out of his way. Tommy let his hand brush over the man’s sleeve.

Freddie held out his glass.

 *  *  *

Ada approached from across the room. Tommy nodded to her over Freddie’s shoulder and Freddie turned to see her. That one look was all it took to put confidence in her step.

“Evening, Ada.” Tommy moved a half step to the side, allowing space for her at the counter between him and Freddie. “What’re you having?”

“One of those.” She glanced at Freddie. 

“You look well.” Freddie murmured, smiling at her.

She blushed, feeling Tommy watching. “It’s smoky out. I feel like I have cinders all through my hair.”

“Let me see.”

She turned her head slightly, letting Tommy’s fingertips pass lightly over her dark hair. Freddie watched the gesture silently. 

“There.” Tommy smoothed away a cinder. “You look fine.”

“Thanks.” Ada took her glass and held it up. “Well then.”

“Well then.” Freddie clinked his glass against hers.

Tommy just drank.

 *  *  *

It passed in the way evenings did, with the easy flow of drink and talk punctuated by the flow of the bar around them. Tommy allowed Freddie his way in the conversation, without agreeing implicitly with anything. He drank and watched Ada laugh and thought, ‘this was the way of it then.’ It was bound to happen sooner or later.

 *  *  *

“What time is it?” Freddie glanced around. “Should you be going-?” He asked it of Ada, one eye on Tommy. It was one thing for Tommy to drink in the pub together with him, but letting his sister walk out in public with Freddie would have been another thing altogether.

Ada half shrugged. “Time I should be, I suppose.” She looked at Tommy.

“Come along home with us.” Tommy nodded at the door, “It’s early yet.” It was late enough, but what did that matter?

Freddie looked at Ada, who smiled. “All right.”

 *  *  *

They walked along the street, close together. Ada’s skirt swished against Freddie’s thighs. His arm crept around her, the sleeve of it brushing against Tommy’s hip.

 *  *  *

When they get back everyone else was still out or already in bed. Tommy suggested a last drink and obligingly they followed him into the sitting room.

He poured a drink out for each of them. There was no toast this time. The lamp was low and Tommy made a move towards lighting it.

“No, don’t.” Ada said. “I like it.” She squeezed Freddie’s hand, and he kissed her then, drunk enough not to be afraid, but not enough not to care.

Her fingers cupped his face as she kissed him back and then, she needed to know, Ada drew back, looking at Tommy.

Uncertainly Freddie looked to her, and then to her brother.

Ada was watching him, waiting, and Tommy graced his fingertips over her cheek before leaning in. He kissed Freddie as though he’d done it before, easy and light and free. When their lips parted, Freddie had a look to him as though his world had been half tilted and then turned upright again.

“Go on.” Tommy murmured, tilting his head towards Ada.

Freddie kissed him again, and then her, the same eager passion in his lips and clumsy hopefulness in his hands.

They made their way upstairs, Tommy leading the way here too. The room was dark as Ada unbuttoned her dress. Freddie helped draw it up over her waist, kissing her again. Now that he had permission he could barely stop.

Tommy kissed the back of his neck, watching as Freddie’s hands moved over Ada’s body. Ada gave him a look over Freddie’s shoulder, and Tommy merely nodded at her. _Go on. Whatever you want._

He didn’t want anyone. Not in the way that Ada wanted Freddie. Not to last. His heart was restless and cold and still. But as he watched Freddie stroke Ada’s cheek, the way he looked at her with love in his eyes…Tommy was uncertain for the first time in months. Maybe there was hope for him too.

Freddie’s hand slipped under her nightgown. Ada’s breath quickened.

Tommy moved to the side of the bed and she glanced at him. “I’ll just be a moment.” It was a lie. But they wouldn’t notice. He went into the other room, shirt unbuttoned, suspenders hanging lazy on his hips.

Through the open door there came soft unmistakable sounds as the bed frame squeaked. Tommy hesitated and then moved towards the bottle he kept on his desk. Yes, he was right to leave. He poured himself a drink and went to the armchair. There he sat, sipping his whiskey, watching the fire burn.

 *  *  *

Afterward Freddie fell asleep. Ada lay there, looking at him. In the dark his face was thin and peaceful. She touched his eyelashes and kissed his forehead lovingly before she got out of bed, quietly so as not to disturb him. She pulled a shawl on over her nightgown and went to the door.

In the corner by the fire Tommy sat there in his armchair. Ada pulled her shawl closer, smiling at him. Tommy blinked and saw her.

“Alright, Ada?”

“Alright, Tommy.” She poured herself a fifth of whiskey and went to sit on the footstool beside him. The log in the fire shifted and sparks skittered across the wood before dying down again.

“Well, now,” Tommy’s hand stroked along the back of her neck like he’d done when she was little, when she went to him with everything. He was her big brother, now and always.

“Are you happy now?”

“Happy enough.” Ada leaned her head against his thigh. “For now.”

Tommy’s chuckle was soft, but she caught it all the same. It was still something to her, the chance to make her brother laugh.


End file.
